The Annals of Biomedical Science and Engineering (ABSE) maintains a transparent and fair Refund Policy for Article Processing Charges (APCs) and other author payments. This policy ensures that authors are treated ethically and that the publishing process remains financially accountable and in compliance with COPE and ICMJE best practices.

1. Purpose of the Refund Policy

This policy defines the circumstances under which a refund may be granted, ensuring fairness to authors while maintaining editorial independence and operational sustainability. APCs support peer review, production, archiving, and open access dissemination.

2. Eligibility for Refunds

Refunds are considered only under specific circumstances where the journal fails to deliver promised publishing services. Authors may be eligible for a partial or full refund in the following cases:

Technical errors leading to duplicate payments.
Unintentional double submission and withdrawal before peer review.
Article rejection after payment due to editorial error (rare cases only).
Failure to publish the accepted article within the committed time frame due to publisher fault.

3. Non-Refundable Situations

Refunds are not applicable in the following cases:

Author withdrawal after acceptance or publication.
Rejection of a manuscript following valid peer review.
Delays caused by incomplete author response or revision submissions.
Article retraction or removal due to author misconduct, plagiarism, or ethical violations.
Change of mind or personal dissatisfaction after acceptance.

4. Refund Request Process

To initiate a refund, authors must send an official email to [email protected] with the following details:

Article title and DOI (if applicable).
Proof of payment (transaction reference or invoice number).
A written justification for the refund request.

All requests are reviewed within 10–15 business days by the journal’s financial team and the Editorial Office.

5. Refund Assessment and Decision

Refund decisions are based on the stage of the publication process and the reason for the request. The editorial board and publisher jointly evaluate each case to ensure fair consideration. Below is a summary of refund eligibility criteria:

Stage	Refund Eligibility	Approximate Refund (%)
Before peer review	Full refund (less transaction fee)	90–95%
After peer review but before acceptance	Partial refund (editorial and review costs deducted)	50–70%
After acceptance but before publication	Limited refund (production costs deducted)	25–40%
After publication	Not eligible	0%

6. Processing of Refunds

Approved refunds are processed within 30 working days through the same payment channel used during the transaction. Any applicable transaction or service fees charged by the payment gateway are deducted from the refund amount.

7. Exceptional Circumstances

In cases of technical malfunction, accidental duplicate publication, or publisher-side failure, a full refund may be issued irrespective of the publication stage. ABSE also reserves the right to issue full refunds for compassionate reasons upon written request.

8. Appeals and Dispute Resolution

Authors who are unsatisfied with the refund decision may file an appeal within 15 days of receiving the decision. Appeals should be sent to [email protected] for independent review by the editorial ethics committee.

9. Ethical Alignment

This Refund Policy aligns with the COPE Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in scholarly publishing. Refund decisions are made independently of editorial influence to ensure ethical and financial fairness for all contributors.

10. Policy Review and Updates

ABSE reviews its financial and refund policies annually to ensure continued compliance with evolving ethical and open-access publishing standards. Updated versions are made publicly available on the journal’s website.

11. Contact Information

For Refund Requests: [email protected]
For Appeals: [email protected]
Editorial Office: Annals of Biomedical Science and Engineering (ABSE), USA